people fall in love in mysterious ways (maybe it's all part of a plan)
by anonymous.mystery95
Summary: HS AU: His plan was perfect - she was perfect. And in order to get the girl of his dreams Barry would need Caitlin to play her part. But when the lines drawn between them start to blur, will he realise that maybe his dream girl isn't who he had always believed it to be?
1. Chapter 1

"You like Eddie, don't you?"

Caitlin snapped out of her stupor, because no, no it couldn't be.

But it was.

Barry Allen, _the_ Barry Allen, the track champion of the district, the guy who made geek chic (well, for him anyhow) and her one weakness since he recited the values of pi to the tenth decimal place at the age of six. He was speaking to her. She looked around, expecting someone else to be in the room, unbelieving he was here for her, unsure how he had found her in the empty biology lab that lunch break.

"What?" He chuckled at her bewildered expression, pulling the seat in front of her out and sitting on it, his gaze boring into her, their emerald hues threatening to draw her close and not let her escape.

And so what if she wasn't her most eloquent at the moment, because _he was speaking to her!_

"Eddie, Eddie Thawne." He tilted his head and she internally swooned at how adorable he looked. "My best friend's boyfriend, you like him." And just as she felt her heart soar with the knowledge he had come and approached her, only her, it sunk as he said those words, a lopsided grin firmly in place.

Clearing her throat, she looked anywhere but him, willing her voice to be steady. "Why - why would you think that?" Wincing at how stiff her voice came across, she straightened her posture, wanting to appear strong and held together, even when she felt it all falling apart.

"I heard you talking about it to Cisco, that he was hot, 'genetically speaking' because you wanted to be a geneticist." She felt the blush creeping up her neck and colouring her cheeks, his teasing tone indicative of just how little he believed the cover-up excuse she had uttered as soon as she realised that people could actually hear her musings of the table before them.

"And if I do? What would it be to you?" She felt irrationally defensive; she had no feelings for the friendly blond and she didn't know why she couldn't tell Barry that, but the words of denial weighed her tongue down, refusing to be uttered, allowing her crush to remain under the impression that it was true.

Barry ran his fingers through his hair, the first sign of nervousness he displayed since the conversation had started.

"I need a favour."

"And what would that be?" The suspicious tone that slipped into her tone wasn't intentional, but he had found her, approached her, started the conversation. She wasn't sure where this was going at the moment, and she wasn't sure how she would feel about the answer.

He huffed a breath of laughter at her blunt questioning, knowing the moment that he had heard those words to Cisco from her mouth that she was exactly who he needed. He hadn't approached her immediately, science teaching him that he must watch and observe So he did. He took in the way she tilted her head back and laughed whenever Cisco would say something funny, how she would fuss over Ronnie every time he would come from football practice with a bruised or bloodied face. (They would be the smallest things, but they could have been life-threatening with the way she treated them), the comfort she provided Felicity as she attempted to navigate the murky waters of her non-relationship with Oliver.

And the more he took note of her, the more he realised that his instincts were on point when they chose her.

She was perfect.

"I need you to date me."

" _What_?!"

* * *

"Let me get this straight." He watched amused as she paced across the floor, her head tilted downwards, as if searching for the answers in the floorboards below her. "You want me to pretend to be your girlfriend, doing couple-y stuff, to make your best friend realise she is in love with you and not her boyfriend, so that when we do graduate she won't move in with him and you won't lose her forever." He conceded that it did sound ridiculous coming from her mouth but that didn't diminish the fear. She was not there when Iris would go on about how sweet and thoughtful Eddie was, about how they were intending to go to the same university, looking for housing nearby without once realising his uncomfortable predicament.

"Hey, you're making it seem like I'm the only one benefitting from this. You are getting to spend more time with Eddie, who you like, and who knows, maybe after all of this is over he won't even mind I'm with Iris..." He lead off, hoping she would get where he was leading with this.

She did.

"So you want me to try and seduce her boyfriend as well." She stopped her walking to look at him, her expression matching her deadpan tone.

"What - that's... yeah." He grinned sheepishly at her, his winning smile breaking down some of her walls.

"So you want me to seduce her boyfriend." Her voice held a more panicked air at his confirmation, the pacing from moments before resumed. "I mean, how does one even do that? What are his likes? Dislikes? I mean, he must like strong, confident girls if he is with Iris. I'm none of those things, I'm just that shy geek in the corner who answers the questions." She took in a quick breath, her mind working a million miles an hour, her heart-rate attempting to match it. "I - oh wow, I'm an spending _way_ too much time with Felicity if that was anything to go by." Her eyes were wide, and the thought of just how adorable she looked like this drifted through his mind fleetingly.

"So, wait, you're doing this?" He bounced up from his seat, walking up to her, the look of alarm only balanced by the flush at his words. And if he thought it was because of her non-existent crush on Eddie being discussed and not the effect of his proximity on her, she was perfectly okay with that. His arms rose, his fingers clasping her shoulders, the heat emitted from his palms sending sparks down her body, the urge to shudder under his touch almost uncontrollable. Almost. Her eyes had fluttered closed at his touch, the only other sign she was affected by him. Taking a few moments to centre herself, to focus on anything _but_ the heat flooding her system at their points of contact, she opened her eyes, a sadness shining in them as she realised just how impossible it would be.

"No. I mean, we barely speak, how would she believe that we are suddenly in a long-term relationship, let alone that you're interested in me. And you're _you_ -" Her arms gesticulated up and down, and she let her eyes roam his lean frame. "while I'm just me, why would anyone believe that?"

"Because you are smart. Beautiful. Kind. Funny." Each word was punctured with a slight squeeze of her arm, the pressure relieving the grip insecurity had on her. "Any guy would be crazy to not see how wonderful you really are Caitlin Snow." He may have said those words about her, but she knew there was no way he felt anything for her other than possible friendship and gratitude.

"I'll do it." The words slipped out without permission, but now they had she couldn't take it back.

He blinked rapidly, the agreement taking him by surprise.

"You'll do it?"

"Not the seducing Eddie part, because that is just wrong and I'll feel uncomfortable, but yes, I'll be your fake girlfriend." He smiled winningly towards her, and for all the doubts and pain she was guaranteed to feel, it all seemed worth it in that small moment.

But then reality crashed down upon her.

"We'll need to create a backstory for how we got together, and we'll need to learn more about each other for this to seem realistic. And to spend time with each other if this is ever going to work, and you better be a wonderful actor if you're going to look like you're in love with me and boundaries - we'll _need_ to set boundaries." The ramifications of this agreement was starting to settle down, the panic washing over her expression only a fraction of what was bubbling within her.

"It'll be fine." Without realising she caught her bottom lip between her teeth, only noticing when his eyes dropped slightly. Letting it go, she attempted a smile, hoping he wouldn't notice its tightness. But judging from his expression, he had seen through it easily. "Trust me, okay." And nodding hesitantly, she let his promise temporarily alleviate her fears, coating them in comfort, but not removing them from her head and heart.

"Well, boyfriend, are you ready for this?" She tried to sound flirty and teasing, but her awkwardness shone through, and she visibly winced at how awful it sounded coming from her.

"Yes. Thank you Caitlin." He swept her into a hug, noting with some sadness the way she immediately stiffened with the contact. But she eventually relaxed into his embrace, her arms wrapping loosely around his waist, her head dropping against his shoulder.

"You know that using one of the greatest clichés in history probably won't end well." And with her head resting against his shoulder, the musky cologne and sweat hanging on him, curling itself around her mind, embedding itself in her memory, she knew she was talking more to herself than him.

"I'm willing to risk it." And she could hear his determination, his need to see it through.

And, with her heart as heavy as lead, she knew there was no need for the word 'probably.'

* * *

Hey look, a new SB fic. whooo. it'll probably be on break until my other multi-chapter fics are done (i'm probably lying seeing I've already started the second chapter for this and I haven't gotten that far in the others.) I don't own any part of the Flash.


	2. Chapter 2

"Any chance you'll let me back out now?" Her eyes were wide and pleading, hope shining in her eyes as they stood before the entrance of their school, the first day of the plan in action off to a great start despite the concerns of the brunette.

They had each arrived on separate buses and bumping into each other was accidental, but it was a lovely moment all the same. Their eyes had caught sight of the other at almost the same time, the conversation between a fellow runner dying as Barry saw her walking off the bus, a small smile on her face as she and Cisco debated whether the other considered all the relevant variables in determining their answer ( _because_ _yes Cisco, the higher than normal temperatures_ will _affect pollination patterns_ ), a grin lighting up his expression as she looked up and saw him staring, her face quickly turning away, her mouth stuttering with the words as she lost her train of thought.

Barry's friend didn't notice that he had stopped listening, but he did notice when Barry interrupted him mid-sentence, a quick goodbye thrown his way before the runner made his way to Caitlin's side, the girl alone now Cisco had run off, an urgent phone call from Ray about their little project requiring silence and his complete concentration.

He had bumped her shoulder with his own, chuckling at the way she jumped at his action and the glare she threw his way. He held in the urge to stick his tongue out, but she could see his amusement, his eyes dancing in mirth at her reaction. And the glare couldn't remain for long, not with him standing before her, smiling down at her, bouncing with an uncontrollable amount of energy.

He had called her beautiful; the warm weather had allowed her to wear her favourite blue summer dress, one that she _did_ feel beautiful in, and she thanked him quietly, unaccustomed to compliments of that nature being directed to her, evidence of it bleeding into her tone. She had to remind herself that it was not real, however, despite the genuine tone the words were uttered with or the way his eyes slowly moved up and down her body, drinking in the sight before him. She had to tell herself that it was for the plan, because she knew she was in danger of truly falling if she allowed herself to forget.

But now they were finally here, in front of the school doors, the plan finally in motion, and she was having cold feet.

"Nope." He smiled at her, his eyes drawn to the way she bit her bottom lip, watching her release them, her constant abuse leaving them red and swollen and quite distracting.

"This is not going to work Barry, _they're going to know_."

"No they won't Caity-" and she stiffened at the word, the panic and slight mirth draining from her expression at the name. "Okay, not that then." And he wondered if she would be one for petnames, if she would let him call her baby, or darling or a plethora of names he felt eager to test out. He was so distracted his thoughts that he had briefly stopped listening to her words, her light tone washing over him, soothing him, her hand gestures bringing a smile to his face.

"So what? Are you going to carry my books and walk me to class?" He huffed in laughter, amused at the suggestion. "What," and her confusion was adorable, "do people not do that?"

"For teenagers, we know _nothing_ about relationships."

"Yeah, well, this is just practice for later, isn't it? And we aren't even jumping into it now, just taking it slow." And the words were so forced, they were rough on her tongue as she tried to seem unaffected by them.

"Come on," His hand was outstretched, awaiting her own in his grasp and she hesitated, drawing her own away from him, her eyes fixated warily on the offending limb. "Caitlin?" They flickered up and caught by his gaze, the concern visible, and she had to force herself to relax. Cautiously she let go of her fear, her hand sliding into his own, watching the smile on his face grow as she did so, worry still lingering in his eyes. He squeezed her hand, hoping that she would be able to sense his optimism and relax. It was only after she squeezed back that he turned away and entered the school with her by his side.

She kept her head down as they marched through the crowd, dragging him along as though they wouldn't be noticed if she was moving fast enough. She couldn't hear his laughter over the noise of the crowds, watching her, talking about her, judging her.

He stilled, her grasp on his hand so tight that she felt herself pulled back towards him as the his movements, or lack of, took her by surprise. Taking her second hand in his, he interlocked their fingers, his thumb drawing circles in her skin, centring her, calming her. "Caitlin," Her panic was more evident, her worries more visible now, and he couldn't shake the feeling off that he'd let her down by going through with the plan. "You don't have to do this, just say the word and it'll be called off." His words seemed to soothe her, her frame, wrought with tension, loosening as his words rolled over her, and Barry did actually believe she was going to cancel it. He wouldn't have blamed her in the slightest, his guilt was starting to gnaw away inside, the look of utter terror painted across her the salt on already painful wounds.

"No, no." And she seemed to shake herself out of the daze she was in, a clarity in her eyes, the panic and the emotions of before now shut away, a resolute determination to go through with it the only thing he could see. And he couldn't deny the feeling of uneasiness at the sight of her locking away her feelings like that. Especially in front of him. "I said I would go through with this and I will. You can count on me." His eyes were still so scrutinising, watching her every movement and twitch, trying to see if there was any doubt or regret seeping into her expression. He didn't stop looking until his eyes landed on her lips, a smile tugging at the corners, her teeth peeking out from under.

"What?"

"Nothing," and she had to fight the blush that wanted to creep up her neck, "it's... nothing." And the smile widened, a toothy grin lighting up her face, so delightful and contagious Barry couldn't help but respond in kind. It was a while before they realised what they were doing, Caitlin's smile dropping into a small oval of surprise, blinking repeatedly as though he would disappear and her illusion would be shattered if done enough times. Barry, seeing the sudden change in his not-so-quite girlfriend noticed that something was off, his mind slowly catching up with her, his hands dropping hers immediately, shocked by his response.

If Caitlin was hurt by his reaction, it didn't show, a smile directed towards him before she headed towards her locker, leaving him and his thoughts behind.

* * *

Whatever Caitlin was expecting after walking out of her Creative Writing class - Barry Allen by her door was not one of them. There was a small ember of hope that maybe, just maybe, he would be there for a friend or another person, but as soon as their eyes locked, the smile on his face widening, she knew it was her he was there for her. And she wasn't ready.

She knew Oliver had noticed, his probing gaze bearing into her; she ignored it, the questions behind it ones she didn't wish to answer, and instead focussed on the grinning dork before her.

"Hey Caitlin." He drew out the first word, sensing that maybe his presence there wasn't exactly welcome at that moment. She grabbed his arm and forcefully dragged him away from the group of students now exiting the classroom. Finding an empty room nearby she pulled him in and closed the door.

"What are you doing?" Barry flinched, the harshness of her tone unexpected and unnerving the guy who had so excitedly waited beside the door, eager and hopeful that she would like the fact he came to spend tome with her.

"Meeting you for lunch?" It came out as a question, unsure and wavering in its conviction. Her arms were crossed, her weight on her back foot, the impression of intimidation given off by her and received by Barry.

"What?" Caitlin's voice was deceptively steady, and it had Barry wincing in fear of her reaction. "Lunch, we're not having lunch yet. What part of our agreement said that we were at the stage of having lunch together?"

"Ahh, I thought it would be a good idea, to you know, to be seen. Together."

"We were seen together, _this morning._ We can't be together every single moment though, that'll attract too much attention. What happened to taking this slow?" She hissed at him, her eyes darting around, seeing if anyone had stumbled upon their secret conversation.

"Caitlin I said I wanted it moving slow, but that would actually require it _moving_." She frowned, ready to retort, but he continued on before she could. "It was your idea to be seen with each other more before we came out as dating."

"Yes, but I just meant casual conversations, _like actually speaking to each other_. Not picking me up from my class, where people will notice." She sighed, her intentions for a gradual progression in this fake relationship shattered now Oliver had seen something. It was only time until the rest of her friends found out and any hope she would have of this going under the radar for as long as she could draw it out for would disappear. "Don't you do anything slow?"

"No, sorry." His lips were quirked upwards and she had a feeling he wasn't as contrite as he was making himself out to be. And he wasn't trying to appear sorry. "Guess I'll be popping up more often then. You've got World History next, don't you?" And the way he said it, his confident tone, she knew he was already certain of her response.

"I'm going to regret giving you a copy of my schedule, aren't I?" He opened his mouth to deny the claim, but words wouldn't come out. He paused, shutting his mouth before smiling ruefully at her.

"Yeah," he conceded, "you probably will."

"Oh gosh," she groaned, leaning her head against the nearby wall, "you do realise we're going to now need to speed everything along." He tilted his head, wondering what was going through her mind at that moment. "Oliver will, in an attempt to be discreet, question Felicity, and she'll go ask Cisco before coming to interrogate me." She threw him a dirty look, "thanks for that."

"Caitlin it's not the Spanish Inquisition, I'm sure it'll be fine." He bit back a laugh, certain that she wouldn't appreciate the response when she was so serious.

"You clearly don't know my friends." She pouted at the thought of the oncoming interrogation, the only apt description Barry could think of being adorable.

"Do any of your friends intend to be a journalist? Or a detective? If you're wondering who's going to get the third degree, it's going to be me." He cracked a smile, hoping it would lighten the mood, but she still remained stressed, her mind a million miles away, planning.

"We don't have a backstory, we were creating the backstory. Now what do we do if someone asks how we started dating?" Slight hysteria was mixing in with her tone and he was determined to remove it.

"Caitlin, it'll be fine." But she was unbelieving, her sceptical gaze steady as she tried to see anything resembling conviction in him. "I'll just tell them that I saw you and felt a spark." She looked at him unconvinced, but he gained momentum, his idea taking root in his mind and growing, flourishing under his excitement and energy. "In fact, we could say that you haven't said yes yet, and this is me chasing you. Which will explain why I'm everywhere you are and why you're so uptight around me." She was almost distracted by his words, the urge to defend herself from the his characterisation of her strong. But she had to look past it, trying to see the strength in his idea. "And when we finally 'get together' it'll be because you finally decided to trust me with your heart. Because you were too afraid to do it before, but now I would have proved myself." He sounded so eager, his enthusiasm a stark contrast to the hollowness she felt as she processed his words.

"Fine. I guess that'll do." And resigned to the turn of events, she conceded defeat, accepting his idea, her energy now focussed on burying the feelings his speech had reawaken, the fear and untrusting way she was supposed to act more a reality than anything else. "I guess we're going to have to go out there now." She moved to leave, walking away and reaching the door before feeling his hand clasp her shoulder.

"Hey," she spun around, surprised by just how chose he was to her, flustered because he was there, within touching distance, his eyes focussed on her own. "Just remember I'm the fastest runner out here, I _will_ catch my girl." He winked at her and he walked out, a bounce in his step, his lips curled into a smile as his mind played out his fantasies of the future.

She trailed after him slowly, her heart heavy from his words.

Because she knew he wasn't talking about her.

* * *

(Oliver, apart from a curious glance in her direction didn't say anything to anyone, including her. She was given two weeks. He gave her two weeks before he went to Felicity and asked her about it. She was given two weeks before Felicity and Cisco cornered her before the STAR Students meetings and questioned her about Barry.

She had never enjoyed a fortnight more in her life.)


	3. Chapter 3

It started with casual conversations in the chaos of lunchtime, Caitlin's personal bubble quickly accepting the presence of Barry and his bright smiles and corny jokes. The group had taken to him quickly, Cisco and Barry bonding over comics (because war? there was no war. DC trumps Marvel every single time), Felicity babbling on about something not quite legal and Barry offering advice for improvements.

Caitlin loved watching them talk, her friends and crush interacting with such ease. There would be times where she would lean back in silence and watch everything unfold before her, watch the way they joked around, conversation between the three of them never lacking, never dull. And in her moments of weakness she allowed herself to fantasise about moments like this in the future, fooling herself into believing that this could possibly happen. That one day this could all be real and she would be able to have everything she'd dreamt of.

But his attention was never on them long, his eyes always flickering to her, a smile breaking out when he would catch her gaze. And he then he would turn away, nodding at whatever Cisco had been muttering about or complaining about the medieval technology the school possessed with Felicity, unaware of his effect on the poor girl, heat blossoming inside Caitlin after that one look, a blush tinging her cheeks as she got caught staring at him.

There were times the others seemed to catch on, Felicity or Cisco watching her in the corner of their eyes, lingering too long for Caitlin to feel comfortable. Which was wrong, because getting caught was the purpose of these weeks, the seeds of the budding relationship, however contrived it may be, were to be planted in their minds. But it wasn't artifice on her part, and being caught by her friends and the world, especially after Ronnie -

She wasn't sure how ready she was at all.

* * *

It moved onto casual touches, a hand on her shoulder, fingers skimming down her arm, stopping just short of sliding into her hand and never letting go. Her skin burned after every touch, her body tingling long after the moment passed, phantom touches teasing her when she was all alone, shivers running down her spine.

But he grew more confident over time, his arm rested on the back of her chair most lunches with no signs of awkwardness, his fingers playing with the bottom of her hair. He would sit closer to her every time, leaning into her as he talked with her and her friends, personal space a boundary they now shared with each other. She slowly relaxed into it, into him, at times subconsciously, unaware that he would turn his head mid conversation, smiling as he would feel her, as he would see her against him, laughing at something Cisco said or teasing Felicity. It took him by surprise the first time it happened, completely distracting him from his discussion with Felicity, so wholly focussed on the girl at his side, her smile and laughter lighting up her face, a beauty he had never noticed until that moment. Felicity had to snap her fingers in his face to bring him back to reality, smirking as he stumbled over words, a quick look back at Caitlin before turning to Felicity, striking up a new topic to avoid the topic of what just happened. But he adjusted quickly, still surprised by her action, but his attention not quite so captivated by her as before.

The rare afternoon he didn't spend with them left her feeling uneasy and missing his company. She turned constantly to his table, a fleeting smile on her face as she caught his gaze, before she would turn back to her friends. She was teased about his presence, about her crush on him, and she could only blush in response, denying that there was anything happening so terribly that all they could do was laugh.

* * *

There were afternoons when she could feel Oliver's eyes from across the courtyard, its intensity unnerving her. Whenever they would meet he never asked if there was anything occurring between her and Barry and she never offered any information. But the look in his eyes, the concern and sadness, the stilted conversations that would follow left her confused and empty afterwards. He was a close friend but she couldn't read him at all.

* * *

That Tuesday lunchtime, that was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, countless moments of flirting with the idea of becoming something more in front of her friends reaching the precipice.

The bell had rung, and they started to pack, fully engrossed in their conversation, plans for the afternoon on their minds. They had been spending more time together in preparation, Barry often telling Iris that he would be with Caitlin, a small bloom of satisfaction inside him at her expression when she knew he would be spending more time with another girl.

"Do you want me to pick you up after the meeting?" They needed to work on their smoothness, Caitlin still jumping every time he would wrap his arms around her in a hug, body tense if he slid his arms around her waist, surprise on her face at pet names or the casual mention of being her boyfriend. It was small things that should never matter, but the possible suspicion of her friends and his made them both determined to act like a couple very much in love.

"No," she had bent down to pick up her bag, but he had beaten her to it, lifting it and placed it on her lap.

"What type of boyfriend would I be if I didn't?" Caitlin gave him a long look, but he simply winked in response, a smirk on his face as she conceded. "I'll see you later then." And with a quick squeeze of her shoulders he slid out of the chair and walked away.

Barry didn't realise what he had done, walking to class as though it were something that occurred every day. Caitlin barely realised it herself, a sharp gasp waking her to the words and the presence of the people around her.

She could barely look up, Cisco and Felicity both staring at her, a soft thud as Cisco dropped his bottle onto the table, his hand still hovering mid air.

"What the frack Caitlin?" they exclaimed simultaneously.

"I've got to go now. Bye." And she ran, leaving her shocked friends behind.

* * *

"How long?"

Caitlin winced at Felicity's tone, the words alone already indicative of just what she was referring to. She had two lovely weeks, two weeks free of questions and teasing, two weeks where Barry would come up to her and chat, two weeks of him lightly flirting and her blushing furiously at his attention.

"We have to go to practice Felicity, we can discuss this later." Caitlin was eager to leave the empty corridor, Felicity and Cisco standing before her, arms crossed as they attempted to pry the truth from her. But apparently Cisco was just as curious an just as determined to get to the truth, moving into her path, arms crossed, his eyes watching her worried.

"Caitlin, we know you - we know you're gonna run home faster than your boyfriend and avoid the conversation. So no. We talk now."

"Really Cisco, we can talk later. I swear I won't run away, but now isn't a good ti-" And her desperation leaked into her tone, knowing that things may get exponentially worse if they don't leave for their meeting now.

"Oh Caitlin, there you are." She flinched as his voice carried through the hall, his body turning the corner when she badly didn't want him to.

Because jogging towards her was none other than Barry Allen. Her boyfriend.

His approach slowed as he took in the sight before him, Caitlin surrounded by her two best friends, their determined expressions doing nothing to alleviate the growing uneasiness inside. He slowed to a stop beside her, gaze flickering between the three of them, the tension growing. It was then he felt her hand on his arm, gripping the material of his sweater, pulling him closer, pulling him in front of her her, a human shield in the line of fire.

"So - woah, did I walk in on something? I feel like I've just walked in on something. I'm just going to -" And he turned to run, but her hold on his sweater wasn't wavering and he hadn't the heart to pull her off.

"If I'm going down, you're going down too," she muttered through gritted teeth behind him, a snort escaping Cisco at her words. Barry turned his head, taking in her rigid frame and scared eyes, his shoulders dropping as he agreed to her silent plea. She let go reluctantly, arms wrapping around herself as she struggled to think what to do with them, gaze firmly on him as he moved from in front of her to beside her.

"Thanks." Sarcasm saturated his tone, but an easy smile slid across his face, his arms pulling her closer, the smile softening as she leaned on him, for strength and comfort, her head resting just underneath his shoulder.

"How long?" Felicity repeated, a small twinkle in her eyes as she watched the pair. Barry furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, Caitlin groaning beside him.

"Can't we talk about this later?" she pleaded. "Wells is going to kill us all for being late."

"If we're already gonna be late," Cisco shrugged, "might as well prolong our lives while we can. So how long have you guys been dating?"

"Do they- did Oliver tell you?" Barry sputtered, looking at them and then Caitlin.

"He confirmed it," Felicity nodded, face neutral but eyes shining.

"Then how -"

"You," Caitlin cut in. "This lunch."

"Ooh." He winced, an apology whispered under his breath toward her. " Officially- yesterday."

"And unofficially...?" Cisco lead, awaiting the response.

"I'd been pursuing her for two weeks, maybe more." Barry finished with a weak smile. They had planned this, but now it was occurring, now that they were finding out about the relationship, Barry couldn't help but feel fearful about the reactions of the people who had become quite close to him.

"I should have known, with him coming to the table," Felicity groaned, smacking the base of her palm against her forehead in annoyance.

"Pursuing? Who even uses that anymore? What are you, Mr Darcy?" Cisco muttered under his breath, Barry beaming as he caught the words, Caitlin blushing. But he caught their reactions, confirming what he had only suspected. "You've been reading Cait's favourite books to win her over I see." Barry lifted his hand, running through the back of his hair in embarrassment for being caught. He locked eyes with Cisco, a scrutinising look on his face, and for a brief moment he thought Cisco may not like the idea of him and Caitlin together. But his expression quickly melted into an approving smile. "Nice."

Barry let out a breath of relief at the approval, happy to have won over one of her friends so easily.

"So, does he know how long you- oww." Cisco recoiled as her elbow landed a hard blow against his stomach, the look that Caitlin sent his way cold, panic hiding under the surface of her anger.

"Ix-nay on it. Okay?" She hissed the words at him, her tone dropping low, silent threats hidden in her eyes.

"But -"

"I'd rather not have him running to the hills, Cisco. And I'm pretty sure that'll get it done."

"Fine." Cisco pouted.

"No, I wanna know, what did Caitlin do?" And he nudged her, his stupid face grinning like an idiot and Caitlin wasn't sure whether she wanted to kiss him or run from him.

"Nothing. I did nothing," She rushed the words out, too panicked to be genuine.

"Fine, don't tell me," he pulled a face at her. "But I don't think this relationship will last long if we're starting with secrets," he mocks, a teasing grin on his face.

"Oh really?" She arched an eyebrow in challenge, crossing her arms as she faced him. "You're willing to give up so easily then." The smile on her face was devious and playful, and Barry wasn't sure whether he would like where she was going. "Okay."

"No!" he exclaimed, hands up in surrender. "Okay," he conceded, "maybe secrets are good. Adds to the mystery." She smiled in victory, pausing as a smirk spread across his lips, unsure what he was planning. "Well, now they know I guess I can do this now in public," and he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her to him, laughing in her hair at the shriek of surprise. She pouted as he did so, his other arm securing itself around her waist, pulling her to his front, his head resting on her shoulder.

"Just because we're dating doesn't mean you can scare me like that," she snarked, relaxing into his arms, a smile on her face.

"I like it when you say that." It was spoken quietly, a whisper in her ear, a smile in his voice. Her heartbeat picked up at his words, breath catching as she processed his words.

"Well, we're dating so you should get used to it-" Her voice was small and uncertain. His grip on her tightened in response. "- Boyfriend." She tried wrapping her tongue around the word, a small thrill at its utterance, a pain at knowing it was all a lie.

"I think I will."

"You guys do remember we're still here right?" Caitlin jumped in Barry's embrace at Cisco's voice, her cheeks flushed as she tries to pull herself out of his arms, succeeding momentarily before he wrapped it around her waist again, pulling her into his side.

"Come on Cisco," and Felicity was already dragging the boy around the corner, her voice echoing in the empty halls, laughter in her tone. "They've clearly forgotten about us. We should give the two lovebirds some time together." The duo continued on, laughing and smiling, leaving a mortified Caitlin with a rather amused Barry by her side, his arm still wrapped around her waist, a delicious warmth filling her as his hand lingered.

"So, that happened." He dropped his hand, shoving them into his pockets, grinning bashfully at her now that they were alone.

"I know," she groaned, hiding her face in her hands, eyes peeking out through her stretched fingers. "Can we pretend it didn't?"

"No," he moved her hands from her face, expression lighting up as she pouted at him, this playful side of Caitlin, the version of her that was open and childish, he couldn't deny his fondness for her. Seeing her unburdened, it was a breath of fresh air that would somehow end up stealing his own, and he found himself promising to try and bring it out, not just for himself and the warm feeling inside, but for her, for her friends, for everybody.

"You suck." She stuck her tongue out at him, eyes warm as she watched him, a lightness filling her, her body relaxed as she teased him.

"Yeah well, you'll just get me back." And her smile dropped at his words, cold filling him at sight.

"No going back now," and he didn't understand why he heard sadness in her tone, sadness not for herself, but for him.

"No." And he reached down, clasping her hand in his, before squeezing. "Are you ready for everything then?" Laughter bubbled out from within her, empty and a little broken. He wondered then about her past; he knew so much about her and yet very little.

"No."

"Neither am I," he admitted, ducking his head, "but you're doing it with me and that's worth something right?" And she could hear the vulnerability in his tone, the same one that would constantly pervade his voice when he felt guilty for how she became embroiled in his plan, the one that would break her heart every time it reached her ears, the very same one that would cause her to fight the feeling of wrapping her arms around his lean frame, of pressing her cheek against his chest and remaining in his embrace until their feet were heavy and hearts light.

"You've got me Barry, always." She interlocked her fingers with his, squeezing his hand lightly.

It was all she could offer him, but when he looked up at her, eyes shining with gratitude and relief, the sparkle that disappeared moments ago now back, she knew it was enough.


End file.
